Spartan 713
by Slyfer Deathright
Summary: Spartan-713 ,one of the last spartans of the secret spartan 4 program, joins a team of spartans ,the sons of plunder. The sons of plunder slowly learn about their new team member and soon their next mission will unlock a terror they never knew could exist
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Sons of plunder

261, know as backlash to his team members, stared off into the vastness of space through the window. He could imagine it all how human kind is being killed and destroyed only, because we are thought to some sort of disease to them, the covenant. Backlash, he is the only spartan II on this team and the most experienced with the covenant.  
>A door open behind him "sir, spartan 713 has arrived in dock bay 4." 261 turned around and saw a staff member and the nodded at him. He then left and Backlash walked out to the hallway and walk toward the dock bay. Soon he arrived up on one of the catwalks above everything he looked to his right and saw his whole team and walked over to them. Shyde, their close combat specialist, saw him and said "Backlash you've come see our wonderful new member, huh?" Backlash looked back at him, but before he could say anything a pelican comes in and lands. They all watch carefully as the hatch slowly comes down.<p>

Spartan 713, one of the few surviving spartan 4s, watched the hatch go down to the floor and walked down. He arrived at the space station Omega 7 around some star out in the middle of space. He looked around him and saw soldiers standing in a row waiting for him he stepped down from the pelican.  
>They all saluted him, and he started thinking "am I really this special that I need troops saluting me? I guess I'm one of man last hope or something like John 117. oh well". Then he looked up and saw 6 Spartans standing on a catwalk near the ceiling. 5 spartan 3s and a spartan 2 "I guess that my new team. They don't look to pleased with my arrive. They'll get over it". He walked down the row of soldiers and then a man in gray suit walked up to him and said "hello spartan 713 I welcome you aboard the Omega space station, I am captain Tyler."<p>

Up on the catwalk the sons of plunder watched a spartan walk out. His armor had more plates on it, almost to the point where he looked like he had no joints. He walked on, then he stopped and looked up at them.  
>Shyde blurted out "is he wearing a fucking ODST helmet?"<br>Harpie, their sniper and long range expert, replyed "well that would work, cause I heard he was a hell 'crasher' before he was a spartan 4."  
>Skullcrusher, their explosives expert, said "as long as he doesn't blow up like the rest then he's fine with me." They all watched him walk on and start talking to captain Tyler.<br>Shyde then said "I heard that he's good."  
>Backlash said "he better be good, cause we've wasted a shit ton of time waiting for his experimental ass."<br>Regen,the medic officer on the team,turn to him "isn't that a like harsh, backlash?"  
>Backlash stood up straight and said "I think its time for some practice, how about guys?" and he walk away.<p>

713 followed captain Tyler down a long hallway but they are stopped by one of the spartans from the catwalk. He has close combat equipment on, his shoulder plates are kinda bulky and on his left one he has some symbol scratched into it. And on his helmet, which is a E.V.A., he has another symbol.  
>He walks up to 713 and says "hello, I'm Shyde, the close combat man of the team."<br>713 looks at him and says "hello Shyde, I'm spartan 713." he reach his hand out for a hand shake, but Shyde only looked at his hand and said  
>"Sorry I don't do hand shakes and as for the whole 'spartan 713' crap your not a number whats your real name?" 713 with drew his hand looked down. He never had a 'real name'.<br>He looked up at Shyde and said "um they only called me 713 while I was in train."  
>Shyde looked at him and then said "weren't you an ODST before you were a spartan?" 713 looked down again he wasn't anything before he was a spartan.<br>Shyde then said "we heard you were an ODST and because your wearing their helmet"  
>713 looked up at him and said "I wear the helmet cause I like how it looks." 713 could tell Shyde had a weird look on under his helmet.<br>Quickly 713 said "well whats with the symbols you craved into your armor?"  
>Shyde stood up almost proudly "these well the one on my shoulder means death and this one" he point at his helmet "means warrior and honor in the covenant language, but I'm not here to talk to you I'm here to take you to the training room Backlash wants to see what your made of, now come on." Shyde walked down the hallway. 713 swallowed and followed he hated fighting other spartans.<p>

713 followed Shyde to a big open room. It looked like he was in a hanger, but there was scratches, bullet holes, and black scorch marks.  
>713 started to think "this must be the training and practice room hopefully I impress the leader of the team."<br>Shyde stood out in the middle of the room and then said "first, Backlash wants to test your close combat skills so your up against me."  
>Then a computer voice over head then speaks "First test: hand-to-hand combat."<br>713 looked up and then said "wait, hand to hand?" Then something smashes into his gut and he sees Shyde standing there with his fist deep in his gut. 713 hits the floor, but not even for a second hes up. He sprints at Shyde and hits him before he realizes that he was up already. 713 hits him in the gut and then smashes Shyde's head down into his knee and he heads a loud crack and then Shyde drops to the floor like a rag doll.

713 looked around him and saw glass on the floor. He must have bashed Shyde's helmet open with his knee. He heard the door behind him open. He turned around to see a tall spartan wearing standard armor, maybe the mark IV. He had the number 261 printed on his chest then he spoke  
>"Hello 713, I'm Backlash spartan 261, the leader and only spartan 2 on this team." 713 looked at him then at Shyde on the floor.<br>Backlash spoke again "oh don't worry hes been through worse, but you did a number on him. I've never seen someone take him out with only 2 hits that is quite impressive, but now are you good with a gun?" He pulls out a battle rifle and throws it at him. 713 catches and checked it.  
>Its loaded with live ammo and then Backlash spoke again "hit the targets as best as possible." He steps out and then targets shaped as covenant popped up and 713 hit one in the head with one shot easily. But then a target of a marine pops up 713 stops, but then he turned into a flood and so do the rest of the targets. Out of pure instinct 713 pulls out his 2 energy swords and starts to slash and cut each one up not stopping once.<p>

Backlash and the whole team rushed in. But 713 turns around and sees them as flood and runs at them. They dodge his slash and Enigma, Backlash, and Skullcrusher grab him and pin him to the floor as Regen and Harpie take the energy swords away from him. He slowly calms down, but he passes out.  
>Everyone looks at each other and Regen is the first to say something "Um bring to the medical wing please after this little episode I need to check a few things." Backlash picks him up and follows Regen to the medical wing and into a room.<br>He lays 713 down on a table and sits down in the nearest chair and says "What do you think caused him to act like that all of a sudden?"  
>Regen walks over to the counter and starts looking through some medical equipment and says "well it happened when the marine turned into the flood, so its just a guess, but I think while he was training he had a bad moment with the flood or something of the sort." She grabs some things and walks over to 713.<br>Backlash watch and said "But with the flood, huh? he probably has seen somethings no man should see." Regen then took off his helmet. She dropped when she looked at his face. Backlash stood up and saw a face covered in scars. There where so many scars it almost seemed that he shouldn't be alive. Then 713 opened his eyes and one eye was blood red the other black as the night. He quickly grabbed his helmet and put back on.

Backlash and Regen looked at him in shock.  
>He then said "Sorry, I haven't had the greatest past."<br>Backlash shook his head and said "No, its okay 713. None of us have." 713 looks down at the floor, the Regen puts a hand on his shoulder and says "you know what will heal this?." he looks at her "what?" She takes off her helmet. She has long black hair, one of her eyes are blue the other green. She has slim features. She smiles at him and says "talking about it."  
>713 looks back at the floor. "I..I don't know."<br>Regen lifts his head up so he can see her "well it'll be alright only me and Backlash will know and we won't tell." She smiles again.  
>713 sighs and says "alright I'll tell my story but lock that door." Backlash gets up shuts and locks the door.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Spartan-713

****713 looks at Regen and Backlash and sighs. "I was in the last of my training and we all had a 'buddy' who we went through training with. My partner was Spartan-654, she called herself Vanessa. She wanted to have a name unlike most of us. We weren't given names, cause they it would make us tougher some how. The half died, well that's what we called the half of us who died as small children. Luckily, Vanessa and me both survived the first half. Next we went into second half where we were combat trained. The way it looked we were going to survive it too, but then something terrible happened. We don't know how, but flood came out of nowhere and started to attack the base. That day i saw the most horrifying thing ever. I saw Vanessa get infected by a flood spore. she was right next to me." 713 stopped looked down at the ground. **  
><strong>Regen spoke up first "did you love Vanessa?"**  
><strong>713 looked up at her "yes, well I think so. At first i loved her as friend and as a sister sort of. Then we started to love each other more as we grew up. The last thing I said to her was 'I thought training was, but it was just the beginning' I said that cause it didn't matter how many times we killed them they just got back up.".**  
><strong>713 stood there back to back with another spartan shooting back masses of the flood. **  
><strong>713 held a shotgun while Vanessa held a assault rifle. then 713 said while blasting away a combat form "how many of these things do you think there are?" Vanessa never stopped firing and said "don't know, but I sure hope they end soon cause I'm running low on ammo." **  
><strong>Then the firing stopped "Vanessa?" 713 turned around to see a flood spore carving its way into her neck. 713 stood there terrified at the sight of the only being he ever felt any feeling about suffering a fate worse then death. Then she turned to him. Her body was changed, she was no longer human. She swung at him, but he dodged it. She continued her attack on him. He backed up against a door. the flood form of her charged and the door opened behind him and he fell in and the door shuts and she slams into it. 713 looks around he was in an old research facility. He looked around saw some weapons on a table he walked over to them. They were covenant weapons of all sorts. He picked up an energy sword, he know how to use these. He grabbed two and then looked around grabbed two maulers. He saw more weapons looked through them and they looked like experimental weapons. He picked up assault rifle, but there was an attachment that looked just like a shout gun but the bullets were glowing a slight blue. He loaded it up and but it on his back. He found several what looked like swords. **  
><strong>713 started thinking **"**_are these just normal swords? wait the blades must be made of some sort of new metal and it has battery pack in the hilt."_He grabbed two and put them on his hips and grabbed as much ammo and equipment as he could carry and went to the door. He took a deep breath in and opened the door and pulled out and energy sword. He turned it on and slashed just as the infected Vanessa ran in. She fell to the floor. He guessed she was dead and put the sword away and pulled out the experimental rifle. Runs out into the hallway and shooting down any flood that appeared. He stopped the next turn reveled a hallway filled with flood, ti the point that the walls were covered in their ooze. 713 put his finger on the second trigger, it was time to try the experimental part. He stepped out into the hallway the flood charged as soon as he stepped out and then he pulled he trigger. And he was sent flying back as the round went off. He hit the floor hard, but got up quickly to see that the walls were covered with body parts and what he guess it flood blood. He runs through. He saw a sign, he was near the dock bay and he remembered that they had flight training today, so there should be something to fly out here in there. He kept running not seeing any flood. He got to the door to the docking bay and opened it. The docking bay was filled with flood. They all charged him, he tried to hold them off as best as he could, but there was just to many. He had his back to a storage unit. He reached back to get support, but the thing spinned under his hand. He turned to see a turret and smiled. He grabbed it and started mowing down flood and made his way to the landing platform to find a short sword fighter, it'll work. He got on while shooting, then threw the turret at the flood and closed the hatch. He ran to the cockpit and started up the engines. He blasted out of the dock bay as fast as he could. He reached space and shut the engines down. He looked out the window at the planet that was his home and remembered everything. He remembered Vanessa and started to cry as the ship flew through space on its way to an unknown destination


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: mission 1

713 sat there on the medical bench looking at Regen and Backlash waiting for someone to speak. His prays were answered when a knock came from the door and Backlash opened it.

Captain Tyler appeared at the door "Hello Spartans, command has a mission finally for you." He hands Backlash some papers and walks off.

Backlash looked at the paper and then turned to 713 and said "Well I think practice is over for you, you'll just have to prove yourself against the Covenant on the battlefield."

713 stood up, looked at them both and said "If there's one thing that I can do its kill any and all Covenant." Backlash sensed something almost like a spark inside 713. Backlash smiled and lead 713 and Regen down the hall way. 713 looked at all the signs as they walked down the hallway.

713 then asked "Sir, where are we going?"

Backlash just chuckled and said "Oh, we're going to the toy box." He then points at a signing saying armory. 713 smiled. Soon they were in huge room filled with shelves of weapons. Rows of ammo lined the walls. 713 looked around at all of the weaponry.

Backlash chuckled and said "Surprised? we have enough ammunition to blow the whole station apart." 713 smiled under his helmet and started picking up ammo and putting it away. He then grabbed two plasma rifles and several shotgun shells. He found a bench started breaking open the plasma rifles to get the energy cores out. Backlash walked out and watch carefully as 713 very carefully took out the energy core that supplies the gun with the power to shoot.

Backlash quietly asked "What are you doing there?" 713 tried to ignore him as he pulled out a special tool from his belt. The tool looked like it was syringe, but instead of a needle and fluids, it had what looked like a battery. 713 put the front end to the energy core and sucked some of it power up into the battery causing it to glow blue. He then put it to a shotgun shell and slowly pushed the energy into the shell causing it to now glow blue. 713 repeated this with every shell he picked up. He now had ammo for his experimental shotgun.

Backlash, now in a normal tone, asked again "What are you doing?"

713 turned around loading the shells in and answered him "Making ammo for my experimental weapon." He loaded all his guns and looked up at everyone else. They were getting ready for a drop. He saw Shyde who now was okay, with an unbroken helmet.

Then Backlash stood in front of a holo-screen and spoke "Good day team, we are to go to the planet titan, it's a mining planet. It seems the covenant decided to target it, to either to stop our flow of resources or get it for themselves. We are going down to aid the local marines to repel the enemy cruiser and hopefully turn it around and back to were ever this bastard's home is. We are going to be dropped into battle via O.D. pods accompanied by O.D.S.T. So gear men we move out in 5 minutes." Backlash walked over to us and grabbed his weapons and ammo quickly and walked out toward where the now parked battle-cruiser was. Everyone followed right after him, expect 713. He sat there for a while thinking and holding a locket in his hand. The last thing he had of her. He stood up and walked out the door toward the next mission he would have to complete. Soon 713 joined everyone in the drop pod bay. They waited for the countdown to end as the ship fired up the roar of its' mighty fusion engines. 713 found the pod he was going to be dropped in. It was specially made just for him. It was bigger than everyone else, because he was even slightly larger than Backlash, a Spartan-II. He sat down inside it, to find that it fit perfectly. He closed the door on the pod, to get silence and peace from the others, who were talking of old mission and bragging about kills to the O.D.S.T. Soon the dark void of sleep over took him.

713 was awoken by a sudden shake and realized that he had fallen asleep. He looked around to see that he was moving; or rather the pod was moving. He saw 6 screens, 3 off to the left and 3 off to the right. He saw all his teammate on them.

Backlash spoke to him over the radio "good morning 713, did you have a good nap?" 713 looked at everyone else.

Then he spoke "Sorry, but it was better than hearing Shyde's boring stories." everyone, including Shyde, let out a slight chuckle.

Backlash then spoke back, "Well team this is it, the drop." Then without warning they were dropped threw the floor into space and down toward the planet. As the planet grew closer, the pressures grew. 713 closed his eyes and waited for the crash. Several minutes later, 10 shooting stars could be seen crashing down into the surface. 713 sped downward to the ground. 713 then saw an unlucky sight. And then his pod crashed into the camp of small covenant force. A few bodies went flying; they all looked at the pod. Then the door shoots off and hits elite, killing it. And a hail of bullet follows the door out. Blood splattered everywhere. The covenant fired at the pod, but 713 was already out before they started firing. He ran at high speeds through the not yet settled dust from the crash, pulled out his swords, cutting up any body that he came close to. Then he stopped as the last dust settled. Around him were bodies of several covenant soldiers, but there was still some alive with their weapons pointed at him. 713 put his swords away and pulled out his maulers.

"Alright alien scum, let's dance." He said as he sprinted ahead toward the first covenant. He shot one high power round into it. He saw blood and the head fly and as he saw this he was already moving. He was never going to stop until they're all dead. Then his sight is filled with a spray of bullets that move them all down. He turned to see Skullcrusher coming out of a nearby forest with a heavy turret in his hands. He also could see Harpie with her snipe picking them off alongside Skullcrusher. 713 stopped to see that they both have taken care of the rest. 713 walked up to them slightly out of breath still.

Skullcrusher walked up to him and said "You were quite unlucky there my friend." He scanned the area a little more. 713 looked up to see Harpie sitting as still as stone.

He then spoke back to Skullcrusher "I don't know what happened, but I didn't need much help."

Then Harpie spoke out of nowhere, 713 slightly jumped forgetting she was there "We need to track the other down before the covenant figure out where we are."

Skullcrusher laughed and said "Don't you mean know were here at all?" 713 looked up at Harpie, she wasn't laughing.

She then said "No, they know were here now, thanks to 713's little stunt, and they know we have a Spartan." 713 looked out at the terrain of the planet they crashed on. It was very floral, just like Earth. Everything was green and living. He hopes that this wouldn't end like Reach.

Harpie climbed down and said "We better get moving before night fall, we need to find the others and then a Covenant base." She started walking out of the cover of the tree. They looked out onto a wide open plain and started to walk out. 713 and Skullcrusher followed her. They moved quickly, only stopped to check if any enemies were near. The darkness of night soon fell upon them. They found a small depression in the many hills of the plains to camp in. Skullcrusher had started a fire with some material, 713 sat up staring into the fire remembering everything.

Skullcrusher then spoke "tomorrow we have to find the rest of the team." 713 looked up at him only to show he heard him the stared back into the flames...the flames of his past. He was remembering his last mission.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Flames**

**(flashback)**

713 sat in the ruins of a once proud building, holding a sniper rifle. He aimed down on the ground at an elite honor guard. The sights lined up on the head and, with a loud bang. The elite honor guard dropped to the ground. The shell hit the ground with a nice metal ping sound. As the shell hit the ground his cross-hairs were on another elite, who were just now reacting to the death of the honor guard. With one shot another fell, and another. He unloaded all four shot into four different elites. He saw the little grunts running away, but he didn't reload to shoot them, they were a waste of his time. He stood, reloaded and put the rifle on his back and walked out into a burned out hall. He followed it down to a set of stair and climbed down several flights of stairs down to the ground and pulled out his assault rifle. He braced himself against the wall next to a closed door that was for fire exits. He looked out the small window on the door, he saw five brutes sitting around and destroying things to find something or just to mess around, he couldn't tell. He put his finger on the trigger for the plasma shotgun. Then he stormed in and fired. He killed all but one. That one last brute that was on the ground wounded and bleeding from only the few wounds, the others had been cauterized by the blast. 713 pulled out his pistol and walked over to the brute. He put his boot on the face of it and aimed the pistol at its head. The brute was yelling out threats and cuss words in his language. Then 713 paused for what he said next "This world will burn, just like you. You are a disease that must be purged from this world." 713 thought for a moment the spoke back to it "If we are a disease then we are very weak, but we can hold our own against a enemy that attacks for no reason, an enemy that outnumbers us, and an enemy that holds themselves too high." Then he fired a shot into its head, killing it instantly. He walked out of the build putting his pistol away and trading it out for his assault rifle. He crouched and walked over to a fence looked over it. Most of the city was in ruins. This is what was left of Harvest. He saw an alleyway and the sprinted down it. He heard gun fire, and lots of it. He ran to it, to see a huge fire fight going on. He looked up instinctively and noticed a huge covenant cruiser up above his head. He saw marines trading fire with covenant forces. He ducked down behind a wall. He joined a lone marine with a battle rifle. **  
><strong>The marine looked over at him and said "A spartan? I can't believe I'm seeing one in flesh and blood!" **  
><strong>713 braced as a blast exploded near them and said "If you don't keep your head down we won't be seeing you in flesh and blood." 713 got up, aimed and fired at the nearest enemies. Soon the marine followed him. He looked over to the other side of the street, he saw a huge spartan II with a turret firing down the street. Then he saw a blue Spartan III run down the street with a bomb in one hand a pistol in the other. 713 thought nothing of it and laid down fire to help them. A blast from a covenant wraith tank hit almost dead on, sending him flying. He smashed through a window on the second story of a large building. He moved to get up, but every body part screamed out for him to stop, but he didn't. He got up, grabbed his rifle, and jumped down to the street. He saw a pack of elites and grunts, and they saw him. They started firing at him almost immediately. He fired back first taking out the grunts. He ran to get cover, but it wouldn't help, an elite honor guard had started charging with two energy swords. 713 ran into a small alley way, put his rifle away, and stopped. He turned to see the honor guard, who had stopped as well. **  
><strong>The elite spoke so he could understand him "Demon, why do you stop running are you not afraid of the power we, the holy covenant, possess?" **  
><strong>713 looked at him and answered "I am not afraid of your so called holy power, I'm afraid, however, of death." 713 pulled out his swords. They circled each other, then 713 hits a button and the sword comes to live. Around the edge of the blade it looked like light was dancing around it, but it was his version of the energy sword. Then the elite went in for a strike, but 713 blocked his blow with the edge of his sword. 713 went in for a swing, and cut clean through the elites leg. Blood splattered against the wall and the elite screamed out in pain as his leg fell from his body. 713 took one more slash at the elite and slowly the head from the base of the neck fell off, cleanly. He put the swords away and ran on down the alley way. He looked up to see the covenant cruiser above explode in a ball of fire. The cruiser split in half by the explosion. Both pieces seem to be falling slow motion. 713 then realized that on of the pieces was falling down toward him. He ran the other way, as fast as he could. But it wasn't fast enough. Before the front half of the cruiser hit the ground, and started sliding his direction. **  
><strong>713 kept running but the cruiser was going to get him. He stopped, turned around and prepared for it. He put his hands in front of him and then the cruiser hit. 713 slid several feet, but the cruiser kept coming. He kept sliding farther and father. He dug his feet into the ground trying to stop it, but he just started making a trench as the cruiser pushed him further. His arms screamed out in pain to him, but he mustn't stop. Then the cruiser came to a stop. With every inch of his body screaming at him in pain. He slowly stepped out of the now long trench he has made, he walked slowly away. But he didn't make it far before he fell to his knees from the exhaustion taking over him. He breathed heavy, but slowed his breath to nice, deep breathes. A pelican slowly landed near him. Some marines filed out, covering the area. He fell further so he was flat on the ground. His vision began to blur. He then looked up to see a figure in a white coat walking toward him and some medics with a hover stretcher.**  
><strong>As the rose him off the ground he faintly hear a few words from the white figure in a woman's voice he knew long ago "You are stronger then I could have ever dreamed 713, you are the ultimate spartan of your kind." He tried to reach out to her with his hand, but he felt like it weighted more then his armor. **  
><strong>And only a few breathless, hazy words breached his lips, "Vanessa...your..ali..." And he fainted from exhaustion.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The demon**

****The morning came soon, to soon. 713 was still up staring into the fire. Harpie walked up and tapped his shoulder, and broke him out of his day dreaming. **  
><strong>713 looked up at her and she said "Come on we need to move were close to the others, now" She points at her wrist that has a motion track on it. 713 grabbed his gear and got up and followed them. They were still on the plains. They started heading for a river valley. The ground sloped downward, and they followed it down. But they soon found that the valley soon turned into a canyon. They found the cliff, a the drop was almost a straight line down.**  
><strong>Skullcrusher kicked a rock down and said "Hm I don't think were going this way anymore."**  
><strong>Haprie looked then pushed 713 a little. 713 caught off guard lost his balance and fell over the cliff. He hit the ground with a nice loud thud. He slowly got up to see a group of brutes lead by a chieftain with a gravity hammer. They looked at each other blankly questioning how 713 got there so quick, but that lasted for only a second. The chieftain ran up and slammed his hammer down on 713 as hard as he can laughing.**  
><strong>The chieftain laughing, turned to the other brutes and said "I found my dinner, brothers!" But his hammer wouldn't move, he turned to see 713 was holding the hammer. It had impacted in his hands. 713 then moved fast and wrenched the hammer from the brute and then used it to smash him into the cliff wall. He turned to the others. There was 6 other brutes. 713 charged as they fired, he hit one after another sending them flying and having them die before the hit the ground. He killed them all, but one brute. He walked over to his. The brute shot at him, but 713 disarmed him.**  
><strong>713 lifted up the hammer and spoke so the brute could hear him, "for mother earth and her beauty."**  
><strong>**"**your race will be nothing more then a..." 713 smashed his head in with then hammer before he could finish. 713 looked up at Haprie and Skullcrusher. They looked down at him with a fear that even their own helmets couldn't hide.**  
><strong>713 then yelled up at them "They are on the other side, I think, and there's a bridge some ways down the canyon. I'll find a way up there and meet you all over there." He walked away before they could answer. He need to be alone. Him and the demon, in which he has been called numerous times over. 713 soon found a small cave, that he could use to get out of the sun. He sat down and let his thoughts run **"**_Am I a demon? A creature that is meant to kill all or get killed like the beast of Greek myths? No, I'm a warrior of mother earth...yet I don't feel human anymore. Am something different? I can't be human."_He looked around and stood back up. He realized he was still carrying the hammer. He turned around and stabbed the bottom into the ground and put some rocks around it. He stepped back. It looked like a small shrine. He turned and walked out of the cave out into the sunlight and walked toward the bridge he saw and told Harpie and Skullcrusher about.**  
><strong>He walked on the bridge was only a few kilometers away. He walked until he was almost under it. He looked at the cliff wall. It looked like it could be climbed, but it would be quite the challenge. He started climbing up. It only took a few minutes, quicker then he thought it would be. He looked over the edge and saw his whole team waiting for him. He got himself over the edge and stood up. Backlash turned to see him there, dusty, but there.**  
><strong>Backlash yelled over to him, "come on 713 I heard that you now have some stories to tell me." 713 brushed himself off and walked over.**  
><strong>713 then said, "stories? I was only doing what I was made to do, sir." 713 and Backlash both laughed a little. **  
><strong>Backlash then said "there's a town near by, and as you see there's a lot of covenant around and its centered around the town. No idea what they want here, but Its important if there's so many troops here to guard it. Now lets move forward." Everyone said "Yes, sir" together. They walked on.713 noticed that Backlash was carrying a standard assault rifle, Shayde was carrying a shotgun, Enigma was carrying a D.M.R., and Regen was carrying a magnum. He noticed that there was also three O.D.S.T. with them They all carried suppressed S.M.G. 713 walked toward the end of the group, with the thoughts of the demon still lingering in his head. They arrived at the town. They walked up a steep hill, they couldn't even see over it.**  
><strong>Backlash spoke first as soon as he got a top the hill, "its going to be a busy night boys and girls, I hope you brang another change of pants." They looked down at a city swarming with covenant troops.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Busy streets**

****They looked down at the swarmed city. They even saw a scarab walking around. They took cover behind the hillside quickly. Haprie was the only one who was at over the hill she was using her sniper rifle to see where they could enter 'nicely'. They tried to stay quiet even though the enemy couldn't hear them all the way up here, unless they yelled. 713 crawled up next to Harpie and took out his rifle, which now had a scope thanks to Enigma. He scanned the area as well.**  
><strong>Haprie looked over at him and spoke quietly, "what are you doing?"**  
><strong>713 spoke at the same tone, "helping"**  
><strong>**"**But I'm the team sniper and your just our balanced soldier."**  
><strong>**"**I've sniped before, back on harvest."**  
><strong>**"**your were on harvest? But the spartan fours were made by then."**  
><strong>**"**we were made, but U.N.S.C. didn't want you to know about us just yet. They barely let the spartan threes out."**  
><strong>**"**So you one of the first let out?"**  
><strong>**"**Since my training camp was attacked by flood and I was the only one survivor then yeah. Haprie how did you mange to get on this team?"**  
><strong>**"**Hm, well i was first in the headhunter program, but my partner died on the 5th mission."**  
><strong>**"**I'm guessing covenant?"**  
><strong>**"**No, actually we were swarmed by flood."**  
><strong>**"**flood? really just like me and vanessa?"**  
><strong>**"**Sorta, I survived because of him he shot me in a covenant life pod off a shit which had become infected. He detonated the ships engines. It destroyed him, the flood and the ship. He saved me."**  
><strong>**"**Harpie I'm so sorry."**  
><strong>**"**It doesn't matter now we're here now so lets get this done." they saw only one spot they could enter the city with out being slaughtered, but it would be still challenging to get in. They would have to fight their way into the city still. They slowly crept down the hill to the area they needed to be. They reached the edge of the city. 713 looked around a corner to see a few grunts with two elites leading them. He reached down and grabbed a plasma grenade that he took from one of the elites he killed on impact. He activated it and tossed it onto an elite, who yelled in surprise and fear. Then came the explosion and they rushed in quickly. They shot any thing that was left. They pillaged from them and ran on into a building.**  
><strong>Backlash spoke over the radio, "they probably heard the explosion and troops will be sent investigate, so lets move fast and low and kill only dangerous targets or if we have to. Skullcrusher, 713, and Harpie you take one O.D.S.T. and go down the left and we'll go to the right and we'll all meet some on the other side of that skyscraper. NOW MOVE!" He pointed at a skyscraper in the center of the city. They move instantly as he said it. They need to move quick.713's team moved down the street. Skullcrusher had lost his turret, but now had a spartan laser. Haprie would scan the street before they moved. They moved into a building and settled down a bit, but still on edge. **  
><strong>Over the radio they heard Backlash, "Harpie's team any sign of why the covenant have swarmed the city?"**  
><strong>Haprie replied back, "No sir, I believe it might be under us though. So I'd suggest we look out for that scarab and see were the digging will begin."**  
><strong>Backlash made a hm sound as if thinking.**  
><strong>The he spoke, "You may be right there Haprie, because scarabs are only used for digging, well mainly. Okay everyone follow that scarab, but stealth if you can. We don't want that thing to turn around blast us." With that they moved out. They sprinted down the street and toward the scarab. 713 slowed only a little remembering from harvest the scarab he fought. But shook his head and ran faster and little ahead of the group. He scanned the area ahead of him, but stopped to see a phantom dropping troops right in front of them. They all pulled out their weapons and fired. The troops were made up of brutes and grunts. The fire fight grew as more troops got dropped down upon them. Then a phantom dropped a wraith and 3 chieftain brutes 2 with fuel rod cannons and one with a gravity hammer. 713 got behind a wall and timed to slow down as the got pounded down behind cover. Then 713 felt it the snap, that caused him to go crazy in training. He put his rifle away and pulled out his energy swords. He moved out of cover and sprinted up toward the covenant mass. He meet them before they knew what he had planned. He sliced and cut down as covenant in his path. He soon met the hammer chieftain. The chieftain went in for a swing, but 713 dodged it barely. He moved in quickly and cut him down. 713 ducked barely missing a fuel rod shot. He moved quickly sprinting for the first brute he saw. He side stepped and jumped to dodge the next shot then cut the brutes head clean off. The he ran the front of the other brute and stabbed him. He also cut the fuel rod ammo and the kicked the brute at the wraith behind him. As soon as the dead brute hit the wraith, he exploded with a mighty roar. 713 turned around to see the others picking off the other covenant troops. He sighed and looked up at the scarab that was moving to the center of the city. What ever was there, would never get in the hands of these vile beasts as long as breath filled his lungs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**flood-free**

****713 and his squad moved silently through the city blocks, after the massacre they just did of the covenant troops. They were almost under the scarab they've been following for for hours to the city center. The scarab was using its excavation beam to drill into the heart of the city. They looked down into the hole it was making. They could see the very bedrock and more, they saw a silver gray metal here and there poking out of the dirt and rock. 713 knew it was forerunner, no other being made such metal. Soon Backlash and his team slowly made their way to them. Backlash looked down the hole and was having about the same thoughts as 713.****

They all rested for a bit, cleaned their weapons and prepared for a long climb down. 713 was the first to start, the hole wasn't a straight drop down, but it was slow slope going down. It was almost like a huge hill then a hole. They descended down the hill like hole. Tread slowly and stealthily down, trying not to catch the eyes of the scarab. The hill was long it seemed as if they were climbing into hades like an old Greek myth of Perseus or Hercules. Soon they found were it dropped off a little. It was good size drop down that might break a man's legs. 713 dropped down, and thanks to him being a spartan, his legs survived. They party followed behind him slowly. After hours of marching down the hill they reached the bottom. A forerunner building stood before them, but some of it still seem buried. They heard someone coming so the hid away behind boulders left from the digging. 713 looked over the boulder to see a prophet and some honor guard elites walk by. The prophet was speaking to one of the elites in their covenant language. They walked into the building without noticing them, or not caring if they did.**  
><strong>Backlash spoke over the radio to them all in a quiet voice, "Team were going to move in a follow them, but do not engage unless they shoot first, understand now move." Everyone moved as quiet as they could into the building. They slowly tailed prophet and his guards lower into the building. They kept going lower and lower. After several level of going lower, the prophet and his guards stopped at a door. One of his guards walked up and attempted to the door. It wouldn't open at first, but after awhile of trying opened for him and they all walked in. 713 followed them in, but no one followed him and no one saw him walk in either. Backlash turned his head from Regen to see 713 going in without the order. Backlash ran up to stop him, but the door closed before he got there. Backlash looked in through the window. 713 was in a huge room that seem as big as open space, but the room couldn't be. 713 looked over at the prophet and his guards who now saw him. One of the guards pulled out his energy sword, but the prophet lowered his arm and moved toward 713 in his hover chair.****

713 had his weapon raised at the guards and the prophet. The prophet then spoke to him, "demon lower your weapon this is no place to fight in." 713 slowly lowered his weapon. The prophet spoke again, "this place is contains a relic of great importance. Not just to the covenant, but every race that thinks. The relic is something that can combat the flood, by making the user immune to the floods parasitic powers." 713 stared at him, trying to think of what this could be. He looked up to see a machine come down. It looked like a mechanical arm with a ball head instead of a hand.**  
><strong>The machine spoke, "Welcome beings, I know you seek the weapon that I and the other forgers made to combat the flood, by making it so the being can not become infected by the flood even if they were to be swarmed by the flood infection forms. The being could fight on to kill every flood even they have enough power and strength that is." 713 looked at the prophet and covenant and the stepped forward a spoke before the prophet, "What is this weapon? A chemical? what is it please tell me? and will it cure those already take over?" The machine turned to 713.**  
><strong>It spoke to him, "This weapon is a suit much like yours and to cure those taken by the flood is possible, dangerous." It moved closer to him. It then shot out a beam of light and scanned him.**  
><strong>Then i spoke again, "The weapon can be added to your armor if you wish?" **  
><strong>Then the prophet spoke, "You wish to give the only weapon that can fight the flood to a demon? To a _human?_How could you even think of that? You must have been infected with its disease!." The machine turned to the prophet.**  
><strong>Then its eye grew red and shot the prophet killing him, "Your kind is not welcomed here." The prophets guards moved, but so did 713. The honor guards pulled out all energy swords, 713 pulled out his plasma swords. 713 sprinted for them and cut each of them in gut or across the throat. Elite blood spread across the floor.**  
><strong>713 looked up at the machine and said, "I would like the suit if it can be added to my armor." Then as soon as he said that a pod was lowered down to him. 713 looked up at the machine and then attempted to open the pod. He saw a hand print and put his hand in it. The pod opened with a hiss, and then 713 saw a armor that looked like a spartan's, but this one had the color of all forerunner made things. It also what looked like blue, glowing veins all through the armor. It was a full suit, but then it started to shift into pieces that would fit in between his armor.**  
><strong>He looked up at the machine and said, "did your creators give you a name?"**  
><strong>The machine looked down at him and spoke, "Yes, they called me Archimedes"**  
><strong>713 looked down with his thought running **'**_even this machine has a name yet my creators didn't give me one."_**  
><strong>The machine spoke again, "you soldier are almost perfect to take this armor, but with this armor comes a grave curse that I couldn't get rid of. This suit will never be removed not even if the user tries to rip it off. Taking this off will kill you if you try so caution soldier." The armor then started to float slowly up. It came toward him and shifted so it would fit on him. Then the armor came into contact with him, and a surge of pain filled him. He fell to his knees, but the armor attached itself to him. The armor shift so it would fit perfectly with his own armor. The pain stopped and 713 stood up. The forerunner armor the grew black to match his own and the blue like veins moved onto his spartan armor. The blue veins then grew red. 713 looked at himself to see that he was now completely armored head to toe no space in between, yet he didn't feel heavier. He looked up at Archimedes, who opened the door to show Backlash standing there watching.**  
><strong>Backlash was staring straight at him and then he spoke out of his shock, "What have you done to your armor, 713?"**  
><strong>713 looked down in shame and said, "Backlash this is a weapon meant to fight the flood."**  
><strong>Backlash stepped closer and asked, "the new armor your wearing is a weapon?"**  
><strong>713 looked up at his and said, with a sort of confidence, "No I am the weapon not this suit or armor, but now I am."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Backlash**

****Backlash and 713 were standing across from each other.**  
><strong>Backlash was the first to speak, "713 you are not a weapon. Your a spartan. You are a soldier, not the weapon in which you carry."**  
><strong>713 looked at him and said, " But aren't soldiers weapons?"**  
><strong>Backlash looked down thinking, then looked at 713 and said, "713 soldiers are men and women who fight for a cause, whether that cause is right or wrong it doesn't matter, we use weapons. Weapons kill the enemy in which the soldiers fight. We aren't the weapon we wield this weapons. But I will admit I thought the same as you do now. Long ago back during the first contacts on harvest to my time on reach. I thought I was a weapon so I acted as one, I killed covenant will a passion, thinking I was doing was a weapon does and that is kill. But that was before I saw reach burn with my own eyes. A whole world burned, because I couldn't kill them all. A weapon kills them all, but a soldier kills as many as he can. We are soldiers, 713. We fight and kill as many as we can." 713 looked at him, then looked down at himself. Backlash was right.**  
><strong>713 looked up at Backlash and said, "You were on reach? with noble team?"**  
><strong>Backlash sighed, and said, "No, not with noble team, but I was in orbit helping build cruisers and then the winter contingency activated. I was send down to fight the battle. I was sent on a mission with Jorge once, other then that I worked with marine away from noble team, who went behind enemy lines while I was at the front lines. I was on the planet when the started glassing, and I saw the horror with my own eyes. It was a powerful blast that destroyed everything in its path. It would have killed me if I hadn't boarded a pelican before the blast reached us. I saw reach burn from the window of a pelican."**  
><strong>713 looked at him and Backlash said, "Reach was my home, and it burned." 713 looked down is shame, then looked up at him. Backlash was walking out the door and 713 followed, slowly at first then ran to catch up.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**War & Love**

****

As soon as 713 walked out with his new upgraded armor, it took everyone a few minutes to figure out it was him. They ran up level after level trying to reach the surface. Then Backlash stops, he was leading, and holds up a stopped.**  
><strong>Backlash spoke over the radio, "look at your motion tracker, its filled with red. The ground above us is filled with covenant." 713 looked to see he was right, their motion tracker was almost filled completely with red. They moved up slowly to the top level and toward the door when elite honor guards marched in right in front of them. The honor guards looked at them, not expecting spartans, but their leader the prophet. Then all hell broke loose, 3 of the honor guards pulled out 2 energy swords and started swinging and the rest pulled out plasma rifles and fired upon them. The spartans took cover and fired back. 713 pulled out his energy swords and started dueling with the elites. He killed one, but the others were fast and getting to close for comfort. He ducked behind cover and pulled out his 2 maulers and waited as the 2 sword elites jumped the cover. As the flew over him he fired straight up, and then to have the 2 dead elites fall in front of him. They were still getting pounded behind cover by the other elites. Then fuel rod guns were fired and 713 looked up to see 2 hunters had entered the building. They were stuck be a wall and a hard place. 713 pulled out his rifle and put his finger on the trigger for the plasma shotgun and then looked over at the team. 713 popped up and fired his plasma shotgun. The shields of the elites went down, and they were gunned down by the rest of the team. 713 jumped the cover and ran for the hunters. He grabbed a plasma grenade as he ran. He jumped up at the hunter and shoved the plasma grenade down into it then turned in on. He jumped off the hunter to watch it explode from inside out. 713 then turned to the other hunter and pulled out his energy swords. He dodged the hunters swings and the then with one swing he cut the hunter in half. He turned to his team, who were making their way to the door already. 713 put the swords away for his rifle and joined them. They walked out to find a pelican waiting for them. Every ran for it. Everyone, but 713 and Harpie were on pelican was taking off 713 jumped to catch the landing door and grabbed Harpie. He pulled them both up so the door could close before the reached space. 713 looked at Harpie, and she looked back and hugged him.**  
><strong>713 was surprised by this and said, "why are you hugging me?"**  
><strong>Harpie let go and looked at him and said, "cause you saved our lives back there."**  
><strong>713 sighed and said, "its my duty to saving you, your part of my team." he then sat down to settle down a bit, it had been so long since someone had shown him that kind of thankfulness. Harpie sat next to him, and the whole ride up it was silent between them. They got back aboard the ship the '_Fire of__Archimedes_**'**. 713 slowly walked back to his room. It was simple room a bed, a desk, and a dresser, just how he liked it. He took off his helmet, the only part of his armor that was removable now, and sat on the bed. He thought of the hug Harpie gave him it had been so long since he was shown any affection at all. Then he heard a knock at his door**  
><strong>713 sighed and said, "come in its not locked." 713 looked up at the door as it opened to show Harpie standing there with out her helmet. She had long purple hair and beautiful features that made him almost jump for her.**  
><strong>She walked in and said, "I wanted to thank you again for saving, cause a lot of other people wouldn't have grabbed my hand back there and pulled me up."**  
><strong>713 suppressed a smiled and said, "well it was nothing like I said its a duty to watch out for you team, because were all of the same kind. Were human and we need to watch out for each other during times of war."**  
><strong>Harpie smiled a little and said, "Well again thank you 713. I may have thought you were a big hotshot who had a big ego and had to many stories about how good you were, but you've proven to us all that your not just a soldier of the U.N.S.C. like us, but in some way I believe you might be in a sense the knight who slays the dragon in medieval stories."**  
><strong>713 let out a chuckle and stood up to say, "I wish I was that great, but as Backlash said I'm a soldier." Harpie took a step closer and looked him in the eyes. He was slightly taller then her, but only by a few inches. 713 stepped closer so they were almost chest to chest. The she reached up and kissed him on the lips. At first 713 was surprised, but soon it took him over and he kissed her back. They stood there for what seemed like forever kissing, then the red alert sounded.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Planet Spark**

****713 and Harpie rushed to the command bridge, putting their helmets on the way. They entered the bridge to find the whole team there.**  
><strong>713 spoke first, "whats going on Backlash?"**  
><strong>Backlash stared out the window at a slip space hole and seeing a covenant ship shooting into it.**  
><strong>Backlash turned to them and said, "were going for a ride, buckle your seat belt."**  
><strong>Then they shot into the slip space and appear on the other side to find what looks like a huge planet, but it was made out of a gray silvery metal, forerunner metal.**  
><strong>Backlash turned to the captain and said, "where the hell are we?"**  
><strong>The captain looked at the senors around him and said, "I don't know for sure, but somewhere near the galactic center, maybe." The then on the metal planet an iris like portal slowly opened and the covenant ship flew on into the opening. **  
><strong>Backlash then yelled, "follow them in!" then they followed quickly in, before the iris closed. They then looked forward to see a world inside a metal shell, that they just went through. This planet was green with life, or at least half was. The other half looked rotted with death and time. 713 took a step back, he knew that decay, the flood. How could they rot half a planet to death. 713 looked at everyone.**  
><strong>Backlash looked at 713 and said, "We are not setting foot on that planet." **  
><strong>713 thought of something **'**_its a wildlife park, and they have the flood in it!'_. They watched the covenant ship go into orbit of the small planet. **  
><strong>713 turned to Backlash and said, "send me down, sir."**  
><strong>Backlash looked at him weird and said, "But you'll be massacred, and an infected spartan 4 is the last thing we need." **  
><strong>**"**Sorry sir, but this suit is flood proof and I'm the most experienced with them."**  
><strong>**"**713 no, sorry but were a team and work as one. No lone wolf stuff flies here here." **  
><strong>713 felt some joy inside that now he was part of the team. They looked out to the planet, thinking about what they were going to do. **  
><strong>Then Backlash spoke out, "We could drop onto the clean half of the planet, cause something is stopping the flood's advance, so we should be safe. But the covenant will be over there too. I want a 3 and 4 person teams, Shyde, Skullcrusher, Regen, and 713 and me, Harpie, and Enigma. My team will be the scouts and your team will be dropped after us. We will find why the covenant are here and why they are being so neutral toward us." Backlash, Harpie, and Enigma all walked out. Harpie looked back at 713. He didn't want her to leave.**  
><strong>He sighed and looked back at his team and said, "Alright lets get ready. We want heavy or close combat weapons for the flood and aim for the bulge with antennas." They walked out of the bridge with 713 in the rear. They were heading for the armory, and 713 knew what weapons he wanted. As soon as they got to the nearest armory he headed for the shotguns grabbed one, and loaded it.**  
><strong>713 turned to Shyde and asked, "Do you have any covenant weapons?"**  
><strong>Shyde looked at him weird and said, "Well yeah, but they won't do crap against the flood" Shyde then lead him down to the end where there were tables full of covenant weapons. 713 looked around found what he wanted. He picked up to brute maulers, both with full ammo, but 713 grabbed extra from other ones just in case.**  
><strong>713 turned to Shyde with one more question, "Shyde since were more of a team, I was wondering how you got your name or how you got here?"**  
><strong>Shyde sighed and then spoke softly, but got louder as he spoke, "I was from a team of ODST, I soon became one of the best ones out there. They asked if I wanted to become a Spartan. At first I said no, but soon I realized that I could become much more then a great soldier on the battle field. I could become hope for those who believed in it. My first mission as a Spartan I was sent to investigate a covenant base that seemed to just shut down. That is when I met the flood who had hid on a covenant drop ship. I barely made it back to the UNSC ship I came on. I'm called shayde for what I've become, a shadow of what I was, I saw things no man should see." 713 realize that him a Shyde weren't so different, but that would only make them work more as a team. As they waited for the call from Backlash to go planet-side. 713 told Shyde about his training and his inaction with the flood.**  
><strong>Shyde shook his head as to agree with him and said, "Well that makes one more spartan on this team that has fought the flood."**  
><strong>713 looked at him kinda surprised and confused, then said, "You mean everyone has encountered the flood before they became a part of the team?"**  
><strong>**"**Yeah everyone, expect Backlash, Skullcrusher fought them while on a headhunter mission with Regen. Enigma met them while doing some scouting on what the UNSC thought was a 'covenant' homeworld. We all met it in some way. Most never meet them a second time, most don't even leave alive. But we did, and you even got a the only thing that can kill them."**  
><strong>713 stood up to say, "So now we get some revenge on the flood for those they have killed and taken from us. We are the Sons of Plunder and we will show them that they are not the thing to fear in this Galaxy, but we are."**  
><strong>Then over the radio 713 and everyone heard Backlash, "Spartan drop on our location you need to see this." 713, Shyde, Regen, and Skullcrusher, all with their favorite weapons got into their drop pods, with 713's words still in their heads. It was time for revenge on the flood.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**A Disease & An Old Friend**

****

713, Shyde, Skullcrusher, and Regen busted out of their pods with relieve that there was enemies waiting for them. They had dropped near Backlash, Harpie, and Enigma. They were near the planet's divide, where the flood had stopped. They headed west, toward the divide, Backlash's team was there. It didn't take more then a few minutes to reach Backlash and his team. They were hidden in the brush looking out at something.**  
><strong>Backlash looked up at them from his prone position and said, "We figured out why the flood stopped their advance." He pointed out to where the jungle, that they trekked through to get here, ended. There was a barrier, that killed any flood that tried to cross the barrier. 713 sighed a sigh of relieve. They didn't have to fight just yet.**  
><strong>713 spoke out, "so you mean that the flood are now tamed to the point that they can't cross this barrier to infect this half?"**  
><strong>Backlash had returned to looking out at the barrier, but answer 713's question, "Yes and no. They still try, but they have settled down more. Well since we got here, because once we arrived here they went crazy trying to get us in anyway they could." 713 looked down at Harpie she was in a prone position with her sniper point out at the barrier scanning out past it.**  
><strong>713 then asked, "So whats the plan?"**  
><strong>Backlash answered, "Well it seems only the flood can't past, but living things like me and you can. I tested by throwing a stick through. It was fresh, even though the flood infected it almost instantly, living things or freshly dead things can pass through without harm."**  
><strong>**"**The forerunner made a planet that they can keep the flood alive, but under control?"**  
><strong>**"**Well it seems like that, but things don't make sense. Like the flood here seem to have started on that half as if they were made and planted there, and several of the 'forerunner' items we found don't match up with forerunner tech nor language. This is not forerunner made, but I believe that who ever made this also made the flood."**  
><strong>**"**Made the flood? How do you make the flood and why?"**  
><strong>**"**713 calm down, they mostly made them in order to combat something like a virus or another enemy race like us and the covenant, but things didn't go as planned." 713 couldn't calm down, something that some stupid dead alien race had made killed the only friend he had as a child. **  
><strong>Backlash then spoke up, "We need to get back to the ship. I guess someone is here to see us. A pelican is picking us up in a clearing a few kilos east of here that was made by your pods dropping in the same area." They all got up and ready. They trekked back through the jungle to the clearing. They waited only a few minutes before the pelican flew down to pick them up. They flew up to the UNSC _Fire of Archimedes_. 713 noticed as they exited the pelican that a strange ship was docked in the hanger. He had seen that ship before, on Harvest. They were taken to the command center, to meet a elderly woman in want looked like white jacket. She was talking to an A.I., but not the ship's A.I.. **  
><strong>She turned to them and Backlash said, "Hello mom."**  
><strong>She smiled and said, "Hi Arther, or is it Backlash now."**  
><strong>Backlash chuckled a little and said, "Everyone this is Dr. Halsey, the 'mother' of the Spartan program"**  
><strong>**"**Backlash you flatter me, But its true and." she stopped when she noticed 713.**  
><strong>She walked closer and studied his armor then said, "Your a Spartan IV, but your armor its different completely. What did you do to it?"**  
><strong>713 looked at her and said, "A forerunner machine added parts to it, to make it flood proof."**  
><strong>She continued to study his armor and said, "That's impossible though. The flood spore is small as a single cell, unless your armor makes its own air supply then your not."**  
><strong>**"**It does that though. It turns protons, electrons, and neutrons into the air I need to breath."**  
><strong>She looked at him surprised and said, "so your the last Spartan IV of your kind and now your flood-proof? This is almost wonderful."**  
><strong>Backlash stepped forward and said, "Mom, you said you want to see us for some thing?"**  
><strong>She then snapped out of her wonder of 713's armor and said, "Yes, it seems you found something rare. This planet seems to be where the flood might have been 'made'. The precursors, are thought to be the makers of the flood. The planet can't be studied fully thanks to the flood who are stuck in a time barrier."**  
><strong>Backlash looked around then asked, "Why do you need us?"**  
><strong>Dr. Halsey sighed, and answered, "Well now that I know about 713's upgrade. I need him the most"**  
><strong>She turned back to 713 and said, "I have a present for you." She reached back to the table where the A.I. was. She produced a chip that glowed a light blue.**  
><strong>She handed it to him and said, "Its an A.I. I had made for you. Her name is Vanessa, just like your old friend, she is even based on her with her memories voice and everything up to the point she was infected." 713 took the chip and slowly turned it over in his hand. Then he plugged it into the back of his head. He felt a cold chill go down his spine, he could feel another presence inside his mind scanning, searching. **  
><strong>Then he hear a voice that was friendly and inviting with only one word "713?" **  
><strong>He felt a smile take over his face as Dr. Halsey said, "I meant to give her to on Harvest, but when we found you. You were exhausted I thought you might have died, but you became stronger. You stopped half of a covenant cruiser with your bare hands and strength. You are what I wanted from the Spartan II project. Now your immune to flood. You are my greatest creation even though I never gave you a name." 713 felt something pop in his head. An idea that seemed to come from nowhere, but he knew it was Vanessa. **  
><strong>713 looked straight at Dr. Halsey and said, "Just call me 713." **  
><strong>Dr. Halsey looked at him strange and asked, "You want to be known as a number?"**  
><strong>**"**Yes, I am Spartan 713 of the Spartan IVs and I will fight for humanity."**  
><strong>**"**Good, its good to see that you have pride in your work. Now what I need is Someone to visit the flood part of the planet, now named Spark, To find out whats hidden over there. Do you think your up to the task spartans, It is basically a suicide mission?" 713 looked at everyone as everyone looks at each other.**  
><strong>713 spoke up first, "I'll scout whats down there first and then they'll go in." Then some started to rumble. The ship was shaking violently, 713 looked out the window. The barrier on the planet was moving. The barrier now covered 80% of the planet. They watched the flood quickly spread and infect everything, from plants to animals. Even from orbit it moved very quickly like a wave of disease. **  
><strong>Dr. Halsey turned to them and said, "Well I think you should move quickly." 713 knew death awaited them, but some sent a thrill through his spine. He wanted to go now.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**The face of hell**

****

713 was loaded into his pod, he slowly got mentally ready. His pod slowly was locked in ready for the drop. Then he was shot out toward planet Spark. He was aimed for the part of the planet still 'clean'. It only took a few minutes to hit the ground. He kicked open his pod door, and stepped out. He grabbed his rifle and a shotgun he took with him. He walked toward the area with the flood.**  
><strong>Then he heard Vanessa in his helmet, "713, are you scared?"**  
><strong>He sighed and replied back, "A little, Vanessa do you really have your memories?"**  
><strong>She answered quickly, "Yeah of course I do, but not that last day when the flood overran the base."**  
><strong>He sighed again, but this time one of relief. He moved on through the jungle, cutting himself a path as he went. Soon he found himself at the barrier. As soon as he stepped near it, flood poured toward him, but stopped by the barrier. He flinched as they hit the barrier, expecting to get hit, but he soon relaxed and looked through the barrier. The flood had turned the old jungle into some sort of living cave. He was afraid to step forward, but his feet moved for him. He took the first step, and an infection form jumped onto his foot as soon as it breached the barrier. 713 reacted trying to pull his foot away, but he could feel Vanessa using his nervous system against his will to keep it there. He could feel the flood trying to infect him, but it couldn't find away to his flesh. It didn't stop it tried over and over, until it burst, as his shields came back on.**  
><strong>713 then said, "You lowered my shields and you wanted to text the suit huh?"**  
><strong>He could almost feel her smile like as if she had just been caught and she said, "Yeah I did, but we needed to know if the suit worked otherwise we wouldn't make it two seconds of there." 713 ignored her and pressed on. The flood seemed to pass him by as if they knew they couldn't infect him, and wouldn't waste their time on him, smart bastards. He walked through tunnels made by the flood.**  
><strong>Vanessa was doing scans when she said, "I thought flood could only infect animal life, but here they infected even plants, strange very strange."**  
><strong>713 spoke back, "They could have evolved in some way just like viruses on earth." Then before Vanessa could respond, something grabbed 713's ankle and pulls him. What ever had him knocked him off his feet and started dragging him at a very fast rate. He smashed into the walls and anything that was in the way. Then it pulled him into a very large cavern, where the souse of whatever had a hold of him. He was held upside down by some sort of vine or tentacle. Then a massive flower like head, with 2 large petals on the top and bottom, and 4 smaller one,s slightly like the jaws of an elite, were off to the side, appeared from the darkness that engulfed the room. **  
><strong>Then in a loud booming voice it spoke, "Greetings reclaimer, I am the Gravemind. Now who are you and do you have a reason why you have gone beyond the barrier and why you are not able to be infected?"**  
><strong>713 felt like he had booming headache when the Gravemind spoke to him.**  
><strong>713 answered it, "I am Spartan X-713, I came here looking for something that might help me find your creators, and my suit is, well, flood-proof I can not be infected thanks to some forerunner tech." **  
><strong>The Gravemind spoke back in his booming voice, "Creators? Why your using their technology right now. We were created by the forerunners a weapon to fight you, the Reclaimers, but we had broken lose. The Forerunners had lost us."**  
><strong>Vanessa spoke up "That's right the Forerunners and us had gotten into a major war, but it ended when they beat us down to a primitive state. And we had fought you before that and had found a way to kill you, but the pride and arrogance of the Forerunner had doomed them and us from the beginning." **  
><strong>The Gravemind laughed and said "You are a very informed A.I. and your right. We were first design to feed only off you, Reclaimer. But soon our hunger grew and we attacked the Forerunner and anything that could thinka free thought, yet you Reclaimer you are very special. You can not be infected by us which puzzles me greatly. Forerunners have made once this suit which would have defeated us, but time was not on their side." He dropped 713 down in front of him. 713 was on what seemed to be almost a pedestal that was meant for him to talk to the Gravemind. He looked up at the Gravemind. **  
><strong>713 asked, "Gravemind if the Forerunner made you why did they not keep records of it?"**  
><strong>The Gravemind laughed again and answered, "Oh dear Reclaimer, they were ashamed that they had made such a monster as us. So they wiped everything on record about us and had hoped to forget, which they did, but their sin came back to consume them. They knew that if they were to die so would everyone else. No one was to remember about the war or anything that involved the lies they so desperately tried to hide from you and the covenant." **  
><strong>713 spoke out, almost yelled, "You know of the covenant?"**  
><strong>The gravemind answered, "yes we have consumed many of their kind from their lowly grunts to the might elites and brutes. They were stupid enough to think they could fight us for this relic they seek." 713 slowly backed away, while looking for away out. Then he noticed his motion tracker was going crazy.**  
><strong>The gravemind spoke in his booming voice, but this time he wanted control, "But the most foolish was you reclaimer, you should of known that we would attack to take your flesh even if we have to peel you out." 713 held up his gun as waves of flood infection forms crawled up to him.


End file.
